The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In an anatomy, such as a human anatomy, various portions of the body are interconnected through soft tissues. For example, ligaments and cartilage interconnect various portions of the anatomy to provide selected articulations of adjacent bone portions. Over time, the cartilage may become weakened or damaged due to various reasons including injury, fatigue, age, disease, etc. and may need to be repaired or replaced.
A cartilage autograft or allograft can be used to repair or replace the damaged cartilage. When an autograft is used to repair the damaged cartilage, the autograft is typically obtained from another area or portion of the anatomy where the cartilage is healthy and may be under less strain, but may still be utilized in connection with the articulation of an associated anatomical joint.
While these conventional cartilage autograft techniques work for their intended purpose, there nevertheless exists a need in the art for an improved autograft technique for treating a cartilage defect.